In the Hands of Fate I: Curse of the Black Pearl

Chapter twelve

Chapter twelve

A stunned Barbossa turned to Jack, "Ten years you carry that pistol, and now you waste your shot."

"He didn't waste it."

Everyone turned to Will who had both coins in his hand outstretched over the chest.

Everything seemed to go by so slowly as I registered what just happened.

A sharp pain made itself known in my stomach. My hands immidiately went to the wound as I doubled in pain. I stumbled into the foot deep water, my shallow breaths echoing in my ears. I rinsed the wound out as Elizabeth came crashing into me.

"Luna, let me see it," Elizabeth ordered.

I managed to shake my head as I strived to look for something.

"I feel…cold."

My father fell and a green apple rolled from his hands. His favorite.

"Vă căpcăun!" I screamed. "Cum ai putut!?" But I knew how, even before he shouted his answer of "He shot you, Luna." And it made sense to me. But there's a fine line of sanity between knowing something horrible is going to happen to someone you love dearly and seeing it actually happen.

I can't recall how, but the next thing I know, I'm lying in Jack's arms mumbling something I can't even understand as he soothed me.

"I'm so sorry, Lu," he murmurs as he lays me on the ground. His hand is pressed against my wound. "This is all my fault." He ran his hand through my hair.

I shook my head again and looked to my left still searching. Poking out of a pile of treasure was a silver knife. I wiggled out of Jack's grasp with much trouble and reached for the knife. The metal felt chilly in my hands as I tried to remove the shot.

"Lu, stop! You're going to make it worse!" Jack called out and tried stilling my hands.

"Jack, relax. I know what I'm doing. This isn't the first time I've been shot." It was amazing how I could keep my head as I put myself through excrutiating physical pain. When I finally did remove the shot, I dipped my hand in the water and brought it back to the wound. A warmth flowed from my hand and the pain melted away.

"Told you it wasn't my first time. Acum, plec şi vă rog să nu mă urmeze. Nu vreau să aibă de a te ranesc si eu sunt de aproape," I held up my thumb and forefinger before stoming out of the cave.

I heard somone try following me. "Don't," Jack says, "Trust me, you don't want to follow her."

...

The day of Jack's hanging came much too soon. Not wanting to see the last person I care about alive killed, I managed to make my way to the cliff overlooking the sea.

Miss Elizabeth more or less convinced the Governor to grant me clemency, alongside Will. However, getting my job back was another thing entirely.

So I did what gypsies do best; I roamed. I didn't really fit it any longer, now that my secret was out. People looked at me strange, always on guard.

Where I stood at the moment, I could still hear the drums, if only faintly. Trying unsuccessfully to tune them out, something on the horizon caught my eye. Taking a chance, I dove in to the warm water and swam out to the glorious ship.

"Where be Jack?" Gibbs asked as he finally pulled me aboard.

I sighed. "Dead probably. Today's the day of his hanging. Perhaps Mister Turner has some odd plan, but I doubt it."

There was a faint splash that came from the fort.

"Sau nu."

It wasn't long before we pulled Jack aboard as well.

"Thought you supposed to keep to the Code," Jack complained.

"We figured they were more actual guidelines," Gibbs answered as he helped Jack off his butt.

Cotton handed Jack his hat, for which he was thanked, and Anamaria placed his coat over his shoulders. "The Black Pearl is yours."

Jack sauntered over to the tiller with such a goofy grin. I frowned. The way he caressed it proved that his one and only love was always going to her.

"On deck, you scabrous dogs! Hands to braces! Let down and haul to run free!" he ordered.

I gave Cotton a hug and stood behind Jack, unsure of what my next move was.

"Now, bring me that horizon." He hummed the song Elizabeth taught us, and looked at his compass. "And really bad eggs…" He turned to me, glanced at his compass, looked to me, snagged my waist and pulled me to him. Glancing at the compass once more, he rotated the tiller. "Drink up me hearties, yo ho!"

"Jack?"

"Hmm?" he wondered.

I looked up at him, a smirk playing on my lips. "How does it feel to have her back?"

He looked out for a moment, thinking. "It's like she never left." He leaned down and pressed his lips to my hair, inhaling deeply.

I had a feeling he wasn't just speaking of the Black Pearl.

End of part one.

Romanian Translations:

Acum, plec şi vă rog să nu mă urmeze. Nu vreau să aibă de a te ranesc si eu sunt de aproape. - Now, I'm leaving and please don't follow me. I don't want to have to hurt you and I'm this close.
Vă căpcăun! Cum ai putut!? - You monster! How could you!?